Document Retention Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide a system for complying with document retention laws; to ensure that ActionAid International retains valuable documents and saves money, time and space; to protect the organization against allegations of selective document destruction; and to provide for routine destruction of non-business, superfluous, and outdated documents.
Documents that should be retained and the period of retention are listed in the attached schedules. In general, documents that are not subject to a retention requirement should be kept only long enough to accomplish the task for which they were generated.
The Chief Financial Officer is in charge of making sure that all directors and managers are complying with document retention schedules. By August 15th of each year, directors and managers will submit to the CFO a list of the documents that have been sent to storage or destroyed (excluding the documents that have been destroyed for being no longer relevant to the organization’s business, the drafts and the personal notes indicated below). The list will identify the documents with enough specificity to allow anyone to determine which documents were stored or destroyed. The CFO will keep lists of documents stored or destroyed.
ActionAid International USA has a legal duty to retain relevant documents which it knows or believes may be relevant to any legal action. Such documents also include those that could lead to discovery of admissible evidence. Accordingly, all electronic and paper document destruction is automatically suspended when a lawsuit, claim, or government investigation is pending, threatened or reasonably foreseeable. In the case of electronic destruction, the system administrator is responsible for ensuring that any automatic destruction program is disabled and reviewing all electronic systems that contain documents potentially relevant to the litigation or claim.
All documents, including electronic documents, that are no longer relevant to the organization’s business, should be destroyed every 60 days. Drafts of documents that have been finalized should not be retained, unless a director finds it necessary. Personal notes should not be kept after they are no longer needed.
In accordance with AAIUSA policy, documents must be retained or destroyed as set forth in the attached schedules. The schedules and all documents should be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure compliance with this policy. Directors and managers will direct the deposit or filing of all documents that must be retained, as well as the destruction of documents that must be purged.
